The Holy Trinity by Lulu Zakia (philippa perry book .txt) 📕

Prologue

December 2009

“They look really great together, don’t they?” I looked around to find a beautiful man that was sitting beside me speaking up. His green, jade eyes looked deep but sincere, showing that he was a smart one. His black tux looked well designed, something that looked like it was specially made for him by the famous our town Fairfield designer, perhaps Aerith Stalls or maybe Isabella Orr. His eyes were gazing to the altar of Trinity Wedding Venue’s, metres away from us, showing a couple that was just married.

“Perfect.” I blurted out. But the guy nodded in agreement, somewhat thinking that I was implying about the couple consisting of my best friend Katrina and her just legally vowed husband, Cameo, not the perfect figure of him.

“Anyway, I’m Hansen… Hansen Keller. Cameo’s my buddy, and well, he said that I’m going to be his son’s godfather.” He laughed, showing his perfect teeth whilst his palm was reaching out for me to accept.

Keller. The Keller family! Who didn't know about them? The owner of half area of our Fairfield town, the owner of huge mansions…

“Adelaide. Adelaide Smith.” I told him my very average name, his hand shaking mine steadily, with the velocity of not too fast, nor too quick, doing the very right manner.


“Beautiful name.” was all he said, his eyes still smiling, just like his lips. I stared in shock, disbelief. Never for once someone called my name beautiful but my parents.

“Oh, and I heard that you are going to be Katrina’s daughter’s godmother, right? Awesome. We’re totally going to make perfect godfather and godmother!” he laughed care-freely, not knowing that deep inside, I was very happy about that idea.

December 2010

“So you uh… didn’t know about that before I told you?” Katrina asked, her face looked worried. She was sitting across me, right on a chair in Viny’s Diner. My mind was numb, that I just shook my head slowly, but not in a nonchalantly way.

Hansen was going to be married. And he… he didn’t tell me about that.

We grew apart last 6 months, deciding that it wasn’t best for us to be together. He didn’t tell me why, he just told me that he couldn’t. Not a single reason.

I… I still loved him, though. I just didn’t know why he refused to invite me, or so I assumed. We broke up, yes. Cameo and Katrina had a son, yes, not a daughter so I wouldn’t need to meet Hansen randomly at their place anymore, yes. But still. Had he not think about how… disappointed I was?

Or maybe how hurt I was.

We were a very perfect, people said, couple, since we met in a pretty sweet place… had the same best friends… a beautiful, full of sweetness relationship… well, the real one, not some fairytale relationship, shortly, it was a relationship any girl could ask for.

“So uh, here’s the invitation he gave me.” said Katrina, blurring me out of my thoughts.

But again… this was reality. She showed me a beautifully, sophisticatedly, velvety red embroidered letter.

I never believed in love, until I met you.
Hansen and Veronica
18. 12. 10
Together with our parents
Mr. and Mrs. Bloom Reitz
We request the honor of your chosen presence
Saturday, The Eighteenth of December
Two Thousand Ten
Two o’clock in the afternoon

THE TRINITY WEDDING VENUE
Fairfield Town, 13521

It was only a week away from this December eleventh.

I smiled, rather painfully. The reality just hit me; it was Veronica Reitz, the daughter of Fairfield’s second largest billionaire, definitely after Mr. Keller, Hansen’s dad.

He knew, realized that I was nothing compared to him. That I wasn’t worth it. That I wasn’t… meant to be with him, but Veronica, the very wealthy woman, was a right choice than this once an orphan woman.

***

I pulled the glass door in front of me, the door of my own gifts and flower shop of Fairfield. It was a passion I’ve always dreamt of- to be a florist, to have my own store. And yes, I was pretty famous now, people bought from me, my labeled flowers are everywhere, I achieved my dream, but still…

I didn’t have Hansen. And I didn’t see him inside, either. So when I pulled and walked my feet in, and when I looked up to greet Julia, one of my few workers behind the gifts and cashier counter, I hesitated my breath seeing… him.

Hansen was dressed in his Oakley light brown shirt with the sleeves neatly but casually rolled up to the elbows, a pair of black pants, and a pair of black sneakers, popping his green eyes that shone prettily.

Just like the old Hansen I knew. I bet that he still smelled the same; fresh lemon and mint. His expression was something I recognized as the old, pure disappointment. I couldn’t read the meaning, though. He was still the same, hideous about feelings.

I then remembered that I was still standing there, clutching to the strap of my brown fashion sling bag, not ready. I was very happy to see him after all these months, but also I knew that there was big, enormous, fat chance that he was here not for the good of me.

The good of him, perhaps.

“Hi.” was all he said. That casual, but awkward greeting he always gave when he was in an uncomfortable situation. He never greeted me like that when we were in a relationship, though. But now, every single thing in our world was different.

He moved on, and I didn’t.

“Hey.” I finally could regain my strength, my facial composure. I wouldn’t want to look fragile, begging, and full of regret because of the breakup in front of him. Yeah, totally the opposite of my very romantic trait, and perhaps he knew it.

Perhaps not, too. Perhaps he didn’t even remember any tint of my figure on his mind, let alone my trait.

We shook hands. I laughed mentally, but of course not in a good, charming way. I was way too depressed. Regretting how bad our meeting was.

“Mmm, have a seat.” I told him. He used to just come up to me when I was watering my flowers, giving a kiss on my cheek or palm, never sitting not knowing what to do on any of the groovy beanbags nor the red pod chairs, let alone I was the one instructing it.

He looked at me, stared at me deeply with those mesmerizing eyes. Oh my goodness, kill me now!

“Uh, I figure that you’ve heard of my…” he stopped uncomfortably, playing with his palms I used to hold, not knowing what word was great enough to say.

I nodded. He looked up.

“…wedding.” He finally said it. I stared at him and looked at my pink wrist watch back and forth, pretending like I was impatient- which was quite the opposite. Very the opposite! I wanted to hold him, telling that everything was okay…

“Look, I know this pretty much sucks, but I’m so sorry. I… I really don’t even know what to say, Adelaide!” he cut my thought, with his voice that sounded pretty frustrated. I waited for him to continue, not knowing what to say, either.

We let the eerie silence felt in, when I finally managed to speak up.

“Then why did you dump me.” I muttered, and when it was late, I realized that I spoke the thought right from my mouth.

Hansen didn’t give me a reply to the question. No answer, just a painful stare. Then he just left.

***

One Week Later

This late morning after I just took a long, full of the famous rose soap bath, I looked up to my email and found out the electric invitation. I laughed bitterly on my mind. Hansen didn’t even bother to send me the beautifully, embroidered, real red letter, it was nothing but an explaining email of the wedding, same words, just the PDF version.

I then realized that probably this was my chance. The chance of mine to speak up, to make him step out of the altar and run for me, leaving Veronica. Yes, I could do that!

I didn’t know where the idea came from, though. I felt guilty even about thinking of that, but I realized that the old, good Adelaide was gone. But the full of bitter Adelaide was here, and as the quote always said, live the present, not the past!

I laughed again this time on my mind, but full of powerly. I quickly strapped on my white satin 50’s dress, just his favorite. The dress I wore when we met. The dress he used to glimmer those green eyes and boast at.

I grabbed my white sequin 50’s purse, and some wedges that made my legs look longer, pulled on my white satin gloves and quickly drifted off to the Trinity Wedding Venue with my black sports car. Minutes before I stepped out to the avenue, I looked at the clock and it showed that the time of the time to mention the vows to begin was only few minutes left. I quickly pulled my dark ebony hair into a look Emerald my cousin and I used to do.

I breathed in. This was it. I honestly just wanted him to remember. Remember about us… just that.

I snapped myself out of my honest thoughts and didn’t waste my time anymore. I swiftly ran to the front step, barging those huge, enormous wood doors with my hands.

Everyone snapped their heads at me, looking straight to my eyes, the interrupter. I breathed in, ready for saying ‘No, I do not agree about this marriage, and I have a say in that since I was one of their chosen guests, it even was said on the invitation!’

But then I remembered the other line other than ‘We request the honor of your chosen presence’, it was ‘I never believed in love before I met you.’ I thought it was some kind of bull, since Hansen used to tell me how he loved me, but then I realized.

Live in the present, not in the past.

I saw Hansen on the other end of the red carpet, right on the altar, and the bride beside him. Veronica Reitz. Hansen was looking at me, and with a hope, I wished that maybe it was a mesmerized one.

But then I looked at Veronica. She wasn’t just some wealthy woman, no. She had this very bright smile on her goddess face, and her long, white, beautiful gown also told me without any word that she was very happy.

“Sorry, I’m late.” was all I said to the guests, and I quickly drifted off to a seat, the nearest one. They turned their heads to the pastor, and after some tension, the couple finally said those words.

They looked happy, just pure, plain, happy.

“They look great together, don’t they?” I looked around to find a man with crystal clear blue eyes speaking up to me. His mouth was twitched in amusement, perhaps because of my barge in. I remembered about my meeting with Hansen, it was just exactly the same. But the difference, this